This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-340492, filed Nov. 30, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, such as a notebook-type apparatus, which can be operated by a battery, and a status switching method of the apparatus, and more particularly to a portable information processing apparatus and a status switching method of the apparatus for executing a suspending process to ensure that an operating status, at a time when the power is turned off, can be restored, even in an unsteady condition wherein the apparatus is liable to receive vibration or shock.
In recent years, various types of personal computers, for example, notebook-types and hand-held-types, have been developed. Such a personal computer is easy to carry and can be operated by a battery. Many of the personal computers of this kind have a suspend/resume function. With this function, when the power switch is turned off, an operating status of the system is stored in a semiconductor memory device or a hard disk drive. At a restart time, the system is restored to its previous operating status. As a result, the user can use the system in the previous status. Whether the system operating status is stored in the semiconductor memory or the hard disk drive in the suspend/resume function can be determined by the user through a system setting screen which is, for example, pop-up displayed. The mode for storing the status in the semiconductor memory is called STR (Suspend to RAM) and the mode for storing it in the hard disk drive is called STD (Suspend to Disk).
STR has a characteristic that the restart requires a short period of reset time, and the status is stored for a relatively short period of time. In contrast, STD has a characteristic that the restart requires a long period of reset time, and the status is stored for a relatively long period of time. Therefore, the user selects either STR or STD in consideration of the aforementioned characteristic and his/her usage pattern.
In addition, many of the personal computers of this type have a wake-up function for automatically restarting the system at an occurrence of a predetermined event, such as reception of a call through a public cable network or reception of a packet through a LAN (Local Area Network), not only at the turn-on of the power switch.
Recently, a personal computer equipped with a so-called radio communication system, such as Bluetooth, has been developed. Bluetooth carries out radio communications with an external device using radio waves in, for example, the 2.45 GHz frequency band. Further, developers are considering usage of signal reception of the radio communication system as a specified event at which the wake-up function is performed.
However, signal reception of the radio communication system does not necessarily occur in a steady condition, unlike the reception of a call through a public cable network or the reception of a packet through a LAN mentioned above. More specifically, a call through a public cable network or a packet through a LAN is naturally received under a steady condition, for example, on a desk or the like, since the network involves cable connection. On the other hand, in the radio communication system which does not require cable connection, a signal can be received under even an unsteady condition, for example, while the apparatus is being carried when it easily receives vibration or shock.
Therefore, when the system is operated to effectively perform the wake-up function in response to a specified event including reception of a signal from a radio communication system and the STD mode is selected for the suspend/resume function, the hard disk drive which has a relatively low resistance to vibration may be operated under a very unsteady condition. In this case, there is a probability that the previous internal status cannot be restored.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and a status switching method of the apparatus for executing a suspending process to ensure that an operating status, at a time when the power is turned off, can be restored, even in an unsteady condition wherein the apparatus is liable to receive vibration or shock.
To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, when the system of the information processing apparatus is set to effectively perform the wake-up function in response to a specified event including reception of a signal from a radio communication system, such as Bluetooth, i.e., when there is a possibility of the resume process being performed under an unsteady condition where the apparatus is liable to receive vibration or shock, a vibration-resistant memory device, such as a semiconductor memory device, is set as the place for storing the operating status by the suspend/resume function regardless of the user""s selection.
In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, when there is a possibility that the apparatus is restarted by the suspend/resume function under a very unsteady condition, STR using a semiconductor memory device, which is resistant to vibration, is forcibly selected regardless of the setting by the user. Therefore, corruption of data or a breakdown of the apparatus will never occur. As a result, it is ensured that the previous operating status is restored.
According to another aspect of the present invention, when the system of the information processing apparatus is set to effectively perform the wake-up function in response to a specified event including reception of a signal from a radio communication system, such as Bluetooth, i.e., when there is a possibility of the resume process being performed under an unsteady condition where the apparatus is liable to receive vibration or shock, the apparatus gives the user a warning of the above matter.
In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, when there is a possibility that the apparatus is restarted by the suspend/resume function under a very unsteady condition and STD using the hard disk drive (which has a relatively low vibration resistance) is selected, the apparatus gives a warning to prompt the user to change the mode from STD to STR. Thus, corruption of data or a breakdown of the apparatus is prevented.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.